Newark, NJ—A U.S. exclusive Panasonic firmware license was introduced to help streamline the workflow of volume photography. Moreover, the firmware license is targeted at streamlining the entire high-volume workflow—from capture to post.
Volume photography, characterized by the rapid capture of a large number of subjects within a condensed timeframe, reaches across diverse fields. These fields include school and sports portraits, events, corporate headshots as well as other scenarios requiring efficient mass image acquisition. 
“We are excited to collaborate with Panasonic, who has engaged the volume school and sports photography business,” said David Drum, vice president, Business Development, H&H Color Lab, N-Vu and Imago. “They have listened to the details of what photographers need to capture, which are reliable and repeatable images and data during the photography session to save postproduction workflow.”
Panasonic Firmware License
Recognizing the challenges faced by volume photographers to organize and deliver images to clients, Panasonic’s latest firmware integrates with leading volume photography applications as well as photo labs. These applications include PhotoLynx and Flow, in addition to labs like H&H and ImageQuix. They all offer tools to efficiently organize subjects and assign unique identifier numbers to each. This is to ensure stress-free photo organization from the outset.
Further, to enhance reliability and simplicity, Panasonic has collaborated with Opticon. Consequently, Panasonic will integrate Opticon’s OPN-2006 barcode and PX-20 QR/barcode scanners in the firmware. Leveraging the capabilities of Opticon’s barcode scanners enables the inclusion of student identification data into the photo’s EXIF metadata. In addition, the barcode information is prominently displayed on the camera’s LCD screen, facilitating quick verification. This integration also helps provide accuracy without errors or missing student data. 
What’s more, as part of this firmware update, Panasonic announced specialized masks tailored for portraits, sports and group photography. Three portrait mask options (portrait, 1/2 frame and 3/4 frame) provide uniform head size and positioning. Panasonic’s goal here is to reduce the need for extensive post-processing and cropping. Complementing this, the sports portrait mask boasts a versatile design for printed portraits and posters. Additionally, the group mask is crafted to facilitate various printing options for multiple subjects.
Panasonic will make these U.S. exclusive functions available via the Lumix Volume Photography firmware license in spring 2024. The license is priced at $199.99.
